


V 



CONSTITUTION 



BY-LAWS 



,--' 



THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE 

OF THE 

State of $ennst)lt)ama 

FOR THE 

PROMOTION OF THE MECHANIC ARTS; 



ACT OF INCORPORATION. 

A 



V 



PHILADELPHIA : 
KING & BAIRD, PRINTERS, 9 GEORGE STREET. 

1844. 



AN ACT 

To incorporate the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the 
Promotion of the Mechanic Arts. 

Section I. Be it enacted by the Senate and House 
of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- 
vania in General Assembly met, and it is hereby 
enacted by the authority of the same, That the sub- 
scribers to the association called the Franklin Institute 
of the State of Pennsylvania for the promotion of the 
Mechanic Arts, and all such persons as may hereafter be 
admitted members of the same, shall be, and they are 
hereby declared to be, a body politic and corporate, by 
the name and style of "The Franklin Institute of the 
State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic 
Arts," to have perpetual succession, to sue and be sued, 
implead and be impleaded, in all courts of record or 
elsewhere, to use a common seal, and break, alter, and 
renew the same at pleasure, and to take, hold, and enjoy 
lands, tenements, and hereditaments; Provided that the 
yearly income of the real estates held by them shall not 
exceed two thousand dollars. 

Section 2. And be it further enacted by the author- 
ity aforesaid, That the objects of the said corporation 
shall be the promotion and encouragement of manufac- 
tures and the mechanic and useful arts, by the establish- 



x 



ment of popular lectures on the sciences connected with 
them, by the formation of a cabinet of models and miner- 
als, and a library, by offering premiums on all objects 
deemed worthy of encouragement, by examining all new 
inventions submitted to them, and by such other mea- 
sures as they may judge expedient. 

Section 3. And be it further eyiactedby the author- 
ity aforesaid, That the members of the said corporation 
shall consist of manufacturers, mechanics, artisans, and 
persons friendly to the mechanic arts ; they shall pay 
such sum annually, or in gross, as shall be required by 
the by-laws of the said corporation for an annual, or life, 
subscription ; Provided that nothing herein contained 
shall be construed to prevent the said corporation from 
electing honorary or corresponding members, who may 
be exempted from such payments and other duties of 
membership, in such manner and to such extent as may 
be prescribed by the by-laws of the said corporation. 

Section 4. And be it further enacted by the author- 
ity aforesaid, That the officers of the said corporation 
shall be a president, two vice-presidents, a recording 
secretary, a corresponding secretary, a treasurer, and 
twenty-four managers, who shall, together, constitute a 
board of managers of the said corporation, and such other 
officers as the said corporation shall deem needful ; two- 
thirds of the managers shall be manufacturers or me- 
chanics ; the said officers shall be elected at an annual 
meeting of the said corporation, to be held on the third 
Thursday of January ; if an election shall not take place 
on that day, the corporation shall not for that cause be 
dissolved, but an election shall be held as soon after- 



tc 



wards as may be, and until such election the officers in 
place shall continue to act; public notice of all elections 
shall be given in such manner as may be prescribed by 
the by-laws of the said corporation ; the present officers 
of the said association are hereby constituted the officers 
of the corporation hereby created ; and shall continue to 
hold their respective offices till otherwise elected under 
the provisions of this act : Provided always, that the 
said corporation shall have power to increase the num- 
ber of vice-presidents and managers hereinbefore men- 
tioned, to such number as may be deemed advisable and 
convenient at a stated meeting of the said corporation, 
the same public notice of such intended alteration being 
previously given as may be required to be given of the 
election of officers of the said corporation. 

Section 5. And be it further enactedby the author- 
ity aforesaid, That the duties and rights of the mem- 
bers of the said corporation, the powers and functions of 
the officers thereof hereinbefore mentioned, and of such 
others as may hereafter be added, the mode of supply- 
ing vacancies in office, the times of meeting of the said 
corporation, and of the board of managers, the numbers 
which shall constitute a quorum at any such meetings, 
the mode of electing members, the terms of their admis- 
sion, the causes which shall justify their suspension or 
expulsion from the corporation, and all other concerns 
of the said corporation shall be regulated by the by-laws 
and ordinances of the said corporation hereafter to be 
made, which the said corporation is hereby authorized 
and empowered to make and alter, in the manner which 
may be therein mentioned ; Provided that the said by- 

1* 



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laws or ordinances shall not be repugnant to, or incon- 
sistent with, the constitution or laws of the United States 
or of this Commonwealth. 



Office of the Clerk of the Senate of the Commonwealth 
of Pennsylvania, March 30th, 1824. 

I certify that the foregoing Bill passed both branches 
of the Legislature, and received the signature of the 
Governor on this day. As witness my hand the day 
and year above written. 

(Signed) JNO. DUPUY, Clerk. 



CONSTITUTION 



I. Title and Objects. 

The Society shall be known by the name of the 
" Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylva- 
nia for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts." 

Its objects shall be the promotion and encouragement 
of Manufactures and the Mechanic and Useful Arts, by 
the establishment of Popular Lectures on the Sciences 
connected with them ; by the formation of a Cabinet of 
Models and Minerals, and a Library ; by offering Pre- 
miums on all objects deemed worthy of encouragement; 
by examining all new Inventions submitted to them ; and 
by such other means as they may judge expedient. 

II. Members. 

1. The Members shall consist of Manufacturers, Me- 
chanics, Artisans, and persons friendly to the Mechanic 
Arts. 

2. Any person desirous of becoming a Member shall 
be proposed by two Members to the Institute, who shall 
vote, viva voce, on his application at the next stated 
meeting. The names of candidates nominated shall be 
suspended conspicuously in the Hall for one month be- 
fore the election. 

3. No person shall be entitled to the privilege of Mem- 



8 

bership until he shall have paid his first annual contribu- 
tion, and signed the constitution. 

4. Any member who shall have refused to pay his 
annual contribution for two successive years, shall, by a 
vote of the Institute, forfeit his membership ; but he 
shall not thereby be exonerated from the payment of his 
arrears. 

5. Honorary or Corresponding Members may be elect- 
ed by the Board of Managers, who shall report such 
election at the next meeting of the Institute. 

III. Meetings. 

1. The Stated Meetings of the Institute shall be held 
monthly. 

2. Special meetings shall be called by order of the 
President, on application of the Board of Managers, or 
of twelve Members of the Institute. Fifteen Members 
shall constitute a quorum. 

IV. Payments. 

1. Every Member shall pay an annual contribution of 
three dollars, which will entitle him to all the benefits of 
the Institution. 

2. The payment of twenty -five dollars shall constitute 
a Member for life, with an exemption from all annual 
payments. 

V. Officers. 

The Officers shall be a President, two Vice-Presi- 
dents, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Seere- 



9 

tary, a Treasurer, twenty-four Managers, and three 
Auditors, to be chosen annually. Two-thirds of the 
Managers shall be Manufacturers or Mechanics. 

VI. Elections. 

The first Election for Officers shall be held on Mon- 
day, the 16th day of February, instant, and the subse- 
quent annual Elections shall be held on the third Thurs- 
day in January ; but if no Election shall take place at that 
Meeting, the Officers in existence shall continue until a 
new Election be held. No Member shall be entitled to 
vote until all arrears shall have been paid. 

VII. President. 

It shall be the duty of the President, or, in his absence, 
of the senior Vice-President present, or, in their absence, 
of a President to be chosen pro tempore, to preside at 
the meetings of the Institute, preserve order therein, 
put all questions, and announce the decisions. 

VIII. Secretaries. 

1 . It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretary to 
keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings of the 
Institute, and give notice of the stated and special 
meetings. 

2. It shall be the duty of the Corresponding Secre- 
tary to answer all letters addressed to the Institute, to 
open and maintain such correspondence as may tend to 
advance its interest, to keep a record thereof subject to 
the directions of the Institute, and to acknowledge dona- 



10 

tions to the Library and the Cabinets ; he shall notify 
their election to all honorary or corresponding Members. 

IX. Treasurer. 

It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive all 
moneys of the Institute, and deposit them, in the name 
of the Corporation, in such Institution as the Board of 
Managers may direct. He shall make no payments 
without written vouchers from the Board of Managers. 
He shall keep accurate accounts of the income and dis- 
bursements of the Institute ; exhibit an accurate state- 
ment of his receipts and payments at the stated meetings, 
and whenever called upon by the Board of Managers ; 
and give bond for the faithful performance of his trust. 

X. Board of Managers. 

1. All the Officers of the Society, except the Auditors, 
shall be Members of the Board, to whom shall be con- 
fided all matters of finance, and the various concerns of 
the Institute which may not be otherwise provided for, 
with authority to devise and execute all measures which 
may advance its interests, reporting the same to the next 
meeting of the Institute for their sanction. 

2. They shall keep regular minutes of their proceed- 
ings, which shall be open at all times to the inspection 
of the Members of the Institute. 

3. They shall, at the stated meetings of the Institute, 
present a detailed report of their proceedings. 

4. They shall hold stated meetings once in each 
month. They shall elect their officers, and be at liberty 



11 

to make by-laws for their own regulation. Seven of 
their number shall constitute a quorum. 

5. They shall have power to fill vacancies in the 
Board from Members of the Institute. 

XI. Amendments. 

To alter or amend this Constitution, notice shall be 
given, stating the intended amendment, at any meeting 
of the Institute, and it shall be acted upon at the next or 
any subsequent stated meeting. Notice of proposed 
amendments shall be given by publication in two or more 
newspapers, and such publication be continued until they 
are finally disposed of. No amendment shall become a 
part of this Constitution unless approved by a vote of 
two-thirds of the Members present. 



BY-LAWS. 



I. Auditors. 

It shall be the duty of the Auditors to examine the 
Treasurer's accounts ; to compare them with the vouch- 
ers, and certify to their correctness. 

II. Meetings. 

The stated meetings of the Institute shall be held on 
the evening of the third Thursday in each month : — 

At 7 o'clock, in November, December, January, and 
February. 

At 7 1-2 o'clock, in March, April, September, and 
October. 

At 8 o'clock, in May, June, July, and August. 

III. Order of Business. 

1st. Reading the Minutes. 
2nd. Reading the Correspondence. 
3rd. Donations. 
4th. Reports of Officers. 
5th. Reports of Standing Committees. 
6th. Reports of Select Committees. 
7th. Deferred Business. 
8th. Consideration of Reports. 
9th. Resignations. 
10th. Proposal of Candidates. 



13 

lllh. Elections.. 
12th. New Business. 

13th. Communications on subjects connected with 
Science and the Arts. 

IV. Committees. 

1st. There shall be the following Standing Commit- 
tees, composed of such members as may voluntarily at- 
tach themselves thereto, pledging themselves in writing, 
to perform such duties as may be devolved upon them. 

1st. On Science and the Arts. 
2nd. On the Library. 
3rd. On the Cabinet of Models. 

4th. On the Cabinet of Minerals and Geological Spe- 
cimens. 
5th. On the Cabinet of Arts and Manufactures. 
6th. On Exhibitions. 
7th. On Meetings. 
8th.' On Meteorology. 

2nd. A Chairman for each of the said Committees 
shall be chosen by the Institute at the first stated meet- 
ing after the adoption of these laws ; and annually there- 
after, by the said Committees, at their stated meeting in 
February. 

3rd. There shall be a Committee on Publications, 
which shall consist of five Members, selected for their 
scientific and literary qualifications, from the Institute at 
large, by the Board of Managers. The said Committee 
shall have power to appoint Collaborators in the various 

2 



14 

departments of the Journal, who shall be governed by 
such rules as the said Committee may from time to time 
prescribe. 

4th. The Standing Committees shall meet statedly 
once a month ; they shall keep regular minutes of their 
proceedings, and report at every stated meeting of the 
Institute. They shall be governed by such rules as 
may be prepared by them, and approved by the In- 
stitute. 

5th. It shall be the duty of the Standing Committees 
to take cognizance of all matters connected with the 
department of the Institute committed to their charge. 
They shall have no power to expend money, except 
upon appropriations regularly made for their use. They 
shall report to the Board of Managers, or to the Insti- 
tute, from time to time, what moneys they will require ; 
but no appropriation shall be made by the Institute until 
it has been referred to the Board of Managers, and report 
made thereon by them. 

6th. Special Committees, unless otherwise ordered, 
shall be nominated by the Presiding Officer, and be ap- 
proved by a vhte of the Institute. 

7th. All Special Committees must report to the Insti- 
tute, in writing, at the stated meeting next succeeding 
their appointment; otherwise they shall be considered 
discharged, unless they be continued. 

8th. It shall be the duty of each Committee, pre- 
viously to their being discharged, to present bills of all 
expenses incurred by them, attested by their Chairman. 

9th. No bill shall be paid without having been first 
passed at a regular meeting of the Committee entrusted 



15 

with the object for which the expense has been incurred, 
and its correctness certified by the Chairman of the 
Committee, and afterwards examined by the Auditors. 

V. Members of the Institute. 

1st. The annual contributions of Members shall be- 
come due and payable on the first day of October of 
each year, in advance ; but all members who are elected 
subsequently to January shall pay in advance from the 
date of their election, at the rate of twenty-five cents per 
month, until the first day of October next ensuing. 
Every member, on receiving his diploma, shall pay to 
the Actuary one dollar therefor. 

2nd. No resignation of membership shall be accepted 
until all dues shall have been paid. 

3rd. A correct alphabetical list of all Members of the 
Institute shall be made by the Actuary, and suspended 
in the Hall, designating those Members who are in 
arrears. 

VI. Rules. 

1st. All resolutions proposed for the consideration of 
the Institute must be presented to the Presiding Officer, 
in writing, signed by the mover, and be announced from 
the Chair before any observations are made thereon. 

2nd. Any member rising to speak shall be announced 
by the Presiding Officer before proceeding. 

3rd. The name of the mover of a resolution shall, in 
all cases, be entered on the minutes. 

4th. No Member shall be permitted to speak more 



16 

than twice on any subject, except the mover of the reso- 
lution under discussion, or the Chairman of the Com- 
mute whose report is under consideration, who shall 
have the privilege of closing the debate. 

5th. The yeas and nays shall be called upon the re- 
quest of five Members ; and to this end, at every meet- 
ing, each Member, as he enters the room, shall report 
his name to the Actuary or Janitor, to be recorded. 

6th. Any resolution offered, the subject of which does 
not pertain to the objects of the Institute as set forth in 
the Constitution, shall be declared cut of order by the 
Chair. Appeals from his decision upon this section shall 
lay over one month, and be sustained by a vote of two- 
thirds of the Members present. 

7th. At the stated meeting next preceding the elec- 
tion, nominations for all the officers to be voted for shall 
be made, and the names of those nominees, who do not 
decline, shall be placed conspicuously in the Hall of the 
Institute for the inspection of the Members. 

VII. Amendments. 

Propositions to alter or amend these laws shall be pre- 
sented in writing. They may be considered when pre- 
sented ; but they shall not be adopted until they are 
agreed to by two-thirds of the Members present at the 
next, or some subsequent stated meeting. Notice of 
proposed amendments shall be given by publication in 
two or more newspapers, and such publication be con- 
tinued until they are finally disposed of. 



LAWS 

ADOPTED BY 

THE BOARD OF MANAGERS 

FOR THEIR GOVERNMENT. 



Article 1. Officers, 

The officers of the Board shall be a Chairman, an 
Actuary, and two Curators. 

Article 2. Chairman. 

The Chairman shall preside at the meetings of the 
Board ; he shall sign all orders upon the Treasurer of 
the Institute, when the accounts shall have been passed 
by the Board : and shall call special meetings whenever 
he shall receive a written request, signed by five Mem- 
bers. 

Article 3. Actuary. 

The Actuary shall keep correct records of all proceed- 
ings of the Board, subject at all times to the inspection 
of any of its Members ; he shall notify to every com- 
mittee their appointment, through their Chairman, and 
shall transmit to him any documents relative thereto, 
within two days after the appointment of the committee. 
He shall keep a roll of the Members' names, and at 

2* 



18 

every meeting note the absentees, and also those who 
attend later than the fixed hour of meeting. He shall 
give notice of every special meeting of the Board by 
printed Circulars. He shall not lend any document or 
paper of the Board to any Member thereof, without a re- 
ceipt. He shall attest all orders drawn by the Board. 
He shall act as agent for the Journal of the Institute, 
Secretary of the Standing Committees, and Librarian. 
He shall, in conjunction with the Curators, have charge 
of the Hall and all the property of the Institute. It shall 
also be his duty to provide a suitable person to perform 
the duties of Janitor to the Institute, and such other as- 
sistants as he may deem necessary in the execution of 
his office. 

Article 4. Curators, 

The Curators shall have charge of all the property of 
the Institute, except the records, papers, and books, 
which may be assigned to any of its officers. They 
shall keep regular minutes of their proceedings, and re- 
port them monthly to the Board. All bills for adver- 
tising shall be under the cognizance of the Curators, and 
be signed by them before receiving the signatures of the 
Auditors. 

Article 5. Meetings. 

The stated meetings of the Board shall be held on 
the evening of the third Wednesday in each month ; at 
7 o'clock in November, December, January, and Feb- 
ruary ; at 7 1-2 o'clock in March, April, September, 



19 

and October; and at 8 o'clock in May, June, July, and 
August. 

A fine of twelve and a-half cents shall be levied on 
each Member who is absent when the roll of the Board 
is first called ; and an additional fine of twelve and a-half 
cents shall be levied on each member who does not ap- 
pear during the meeting. 

Article 6. Order of Business. 

The order of business at the meetings of the Board 
shall be as follows: 1st. Calling the Roll. 2d. Reading 
the Minutes. 3rd. Reports from Standing Committees. 
4th. Reports from Select Committees. 5th. New bu- 
siness. 6th. Calling the Roll. 

Article 7. Committees. 

I. Standing Committees shall be nominated by the 
Chairman, and approved by the Board, on the following 
subjects, viz : 

1. Publications. 

2. Instruction. 

3. Finance. 

4. Managers of the Sinking Fund. 

It shall be the duty of the Standing Committees to 
keep regular minutes of their proceedings, and to report 
them monthly to the Board. 

II. All other committees shall be appointed in the 
following manner: the Chairman shall nominate to the 
Board the Chairman of the committee, who shall name 



20 

a second Member, and he a third, &c, until the whole 
number be filled, a vote being taken upon each. 

All special committees must report to the Board, in 
writing, at the stated meeting next succeeding their ap- 
pointment; otherwise they shall be considered as dis- 
charged, and a new committee appointed, unless con- 
tinued by the Board. 

It shall be the duty of each committee, previous to 
their being discharged by the Board, to present bills of 
all expenses incurred by them, attested by their Chair- 
man. No committee shall have power to contract any 
debt, unless previously authorized by the Board of Mana- 
gers, and an appropriation made. 

No bill shall be paid without having been first passed 
at a regular meeting of the committee entrusted with the 
object for which the expense has been incurred, and its 
correctness certified by the Chairman of the committee, 
and afterwards examined by the Auditors. 



REGULATIONS 

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF 

THE COMMITTEE ON INSTRUCTION. 



The lectures shall commence on the second Monday- 
evening in November, and be continued on the evenings 
of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for twenty-one 
weeks, including the introductory lectures. The first 
week to be occupied by introductory lectures, which 
shall be open to all who may please to attend ; to the 
remainder, those only shall be admitted who have tickets, 
except strangers visiting the city, who may be admitted 
by a ticket from a Member of the Committee on Instruc- 
tion, or by the consent of the Actuary. 

Tickets of admission shall be delivered to Members 
and others under the following regulations, viz : 

To every Member for life, and such as have paid their 
annual contributions for the current year. 

To minors, who are the sons, daughters, wards, or 
apprentices of Members who have paid their annual con- 
tributions to the Institute, including the current year, on 
the payment of one dollar ; and to those who are pupils 
of the Drawing School, without charge. 

To gentlemen who are not members of the Institute, 
on the payment of Five Dollars ; and to ladies for Two 
Dollars each for the season. 

Minors who are admitted must conduct themselves in 
a quiet and orderly manner during their attendance at 



22 

the Lectures, and on entering and leaving the room : 
should they behave otherwise, or disturb the class by- 
applauding, talking, or in any other manner, or refuse 
to deliver their tickets to the Actuary or his assistant, 
when required to do so, they shall be expelled from the 
room, and their tickets be forfeited for the remainder of 
the season, unless a proper acknowledgment be made to 
the Committee on Instruction, who may admit them on 
their good behaviour, except for the second offence, 
when their tickets shall be forfeited without reserve. 



REGULATIONS 

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF 

THE COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY. 



I. The large room on the second floor of the Hall 
shall be appropriated for the purpose of a Reading Room, 
when not required for the meetings of the Institute. 

II. The Reading Room shall be open daily, (Sundays 
excepted) from 10 o'clock, a. m. to 10 o'clock, p. m. 

III. No conversation shall be permitted in the Read- 
ing Room, to the interruption of the readers ; but the 
adjoining north-east and south-east rooms may be used 
for that purpose, when not required for the meetings of 
the Board of Managers, or committees. 

IV. Members shall have the privilege of introducing 
to the Reading Room persons who are not residents of 
Philadelphia, who shall then have free access to the 
rooms during one month. All visiters must be presented 
to the Actuary, and their names, occupations, and resi- 
dences, be entered in a book appropriated for that pur- 
pose, with the signature of the Member by whom they 
were introduced. 

V. The Library shall be divided into two classes ; 
the first comprising such works, as from their rarity, 
value, or extent, should not be lent out, except when re- 
quired by committees for the use of the Institute ; or by 
Members who have obtained the sanction of the com- 
mittee at a regular meeting; to this class shall be added 



24 

all unbound periodicals, and such text-books as ought 
necessarily to be found in a library of reference. The 
second class shall include those books intended for cir- 
culation among the Members. 

VI. The Actuary shall have authority to loan to Mem- 
bers of the Institute any work belonging to the second 
class, subject to the following regulations. 

Section 1st. Every person, on borrowing a book, 
shall sign a conditional bond, or obligation, for the sum 
of fifty dollars, as security for his due observance of 
the rules of the library, and for the value of such books 
as may be injured or lost by him. 

Section 2d. No individual shall be permitted to have 
more than two books out at one time, without a written 
permission, signed by at least two members of the Li- 
brary Committee, nor shall a book be kept out more 
than two weeks ; but if no one has applied for it, the 
former borrower may renew the loan : should any per- 
son have applied for it, the latter shall have the prefer- 
ence. 

Section 3d. A fine often cents per week shall be ex- 
acted for the detention of every book beyond the limited 
time ; and if a book be not returned within three months, 
it shall be deemed lost, and the borrower shall, in addi- 
tion to his fines, forfeit its value. 

Section 4th. Should any book be returned injured, 
the borrower shall pay for the injury, or replace the 
book, as the Library Committee may direct ; and if one 
or more books, belonging to a set or sets, be lost, the 
borrower shall pay the full value of the set or sets, and 
may take the remaining volumes. 



25 

VII. Any person removing from the Hall, without 
permission from the proper authorities, any book, news- 
paper, or other property in charge of the Library Com- 
mittee, shall be reported to the Committee, who may 
inflict any fine not exceeding Twenty-five Dollars. 

VIII. No member whose annual contribution for the 
current year shall be unpaid, or who is in arrears for 
fines, shall be entitled to the privileges of the Library or 
Reading Room. 

IX. If any Member shall refuse or neglect to comply 
with the foregoing rules, it shall be the duty of the Ac- 
tuary to report him to the Committee on the Library. 

X. The Actuary shall keep a book on the table of the 
Reading Room, subject to the inspection of the Mem- 
bers, in which shall be registered the names of the do- 
nors, and of all articles presented to the Library. 

XL Books presented or deposited shall be subject to 
the preceding regulations, or to such special rules as 
may be determined by the depositor, which shall Jbe 
reported to the committee, and be entered on the min- 
utes. 

XII. Any member detected in mutilating the News- 
papers, Pamphlets, or Books belonging to the Institute, 
shall be deprived of his right of membership, and the 
name of the offender shall be made public. 



REGULATIONS 

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF 

THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND THE ARTS. 



Duties of the Committee. 

1. It shall be the duty of said committee to examine, 
either as a body or by sub-committees, all inventions 
that may be submitted to them, and to make a detailed 
descriptive report, giving their opinion with candour and 
impartiality on the subject submitted. 

2. It shall also be the duty of that committee to insti- 
tute and conduct, by sub-committees or otherwise, such 
scientific investigations as they may deem w r orthy of con- 
sideration, and to publish the results in the Journal of 
the Institute. 

3. It shall further be the duty of that committee, by 
sub-committee or otherwise, to inquire into, and report 
upon the state of the Arts generally, or of any branch 
thereof, when called upon to do so, in order to dissemi- 
nate useful practical information, or historical facts in 
relation thereto. 

4. Those scientific duties in general, which devolve 
upon the Institution, tending to mutual instruction and 
the dissemination of knowledge, and which are not spe- 
cially entrusted by the Constitution to the officers of the 
Institute, shall be confided to the Committee on Science 
and the Arts. 



27 



Duties of the Chairman. 

He shall take the Chair at the hour appointed ; pre- 
serve order and decorum in debate, suppress all personal 
reflections, and confine the Members to the question 
under discussion. When two or more Members rise at 
the same time, he shall designate the one entitled to the 
floor. 

He shall decide all questions of order : an appeal from 
his decision to the committee cannot be made by less 
than two Members. He may, however, submit ques- 
tions of order to the committee for their decision. 

On questions of order, there shall be no debate, except 
on an appeal from the decision of the Chairman, or on a 
reference of a question by him to the committee. On 
questions of order, no Member shall speak more than 
once, unless by leave of the committee : on other ques- 
tions, a Member may speak twice, but not oftener with- 
out leave. 

The Chairman shall appoint the members of all sub- 
committees, unless otherwise ordered. And whenever 
he shall ascertain that any member of a sub-committee 
is absent or unable, or unwilling to discharge the duties 
assigned to such member, the chairman is empowered, 
if deemed expedient, to substitute another member in 
his place. 

Order of Business. 

1st. Reading and approval of the Minutes of the pre- 
ceding Meeting. 

2d. Reports of Sub-Committees. 



28 

3d. Consideration of Reports. 

4th. Consideration of Reports for final action upon 

them. 
5th. New Business. 
6th. Adjournment. 

On Investigations. 

1st. Every subject submitted to the Committee for In- 
vestigation, before it can be entertained, shall be accom- 
panied by a written request, addressed to the committee, 
from the party desiring such investigation, and any arti- 
cle which is the subject of a patent must be accompanied 
with a written request from the patentee or patentees, or 
some person authorized by him or them, before any ac- 
tion can be taken upon it by the committee. 

2nd. No inventor, or other person, interested in the 
issue of an investigation, shall be present when the me- 
rits of the subject, or of the invention which he represents 
shall be under discussion, except at the special invitation 
of the sub-committee charged with the investigation ; but 
after the report of the sub-committee has been prepared, 
he may examine it, on application to the Actuary, and 
may make any explanations or objections, in writing, 
addressed to the Chairman of the general committee, 
provided such explanations or objections shall be sub- 
mitted within one month after the report of the sub-com- 
mittee shall have been read before a stated meeting of the 
general committee. 

No subject or invention can be withdrawn, after it has 
been assigned to a sub-committee for investigation, with- 
out the consent of the general committee. 



29 

3rd. The reports of all sub-committees may be dis- 
cussed at the same meeting at which they are presented, 
but shall be laid over for final action until the next stated 
meeting of the general committee, except when a written 
request is preferred by the parties interested, they may 
be taken up on the vote of three-fourths of the Members 
present, and finally disposed of. 

4th. After a report has been finally acted on in the 
general committee, it shall not be re-considered except 
by a vote of two-thirds of the Members present; and a 
motion for re-consideration must be made at least one 
stated meeting prior to its being acted on, by a Member 
who voted with the majority on the final disposition of 
such report. Notice of such intended motion of re-con- 
sideration to be given in writing to the Actuary, within 
three days after the adoption of the report which it is 
proposed to re-consider. 

5th. Sub-committees, in preparing their reports, shall 
accompany them with drawings or diagrams, whenever 
they will serve to illustrate the subject of their reports ; 
and they shall be authorized, whenever they shall think 
it necessary, to require from inventors, or other persons 
interested in the investigations, to furnish such drawing 
or diagram as a condition of their making such investi- 
gation and report. 

Reports on all subjects must be signed by a majority 
of the sub-committee charged with the subject. No re- 
port can be published which has not been finally acted 
upon by the general committee. When a report is or- 
dered to be published, it shall be signed only by the 
Actuary. 



30 

6th. Sub-committees, or members of sub-committees, 
neglecting to attend to the duties assigned them within 
one month after their appointment, shall be discharged, 
unless satisfactory excuse shall be given to the general 
committee. 

7th. It shall be the duty of the Actuary to furnish to 
each inventor a copy of the report of the general com- 
mittee within ten days after such report shall have been 
finally adopted. 

8th. When any sub-committee deem the invention 
upon which they report worthy an award of the Scott's 
legacy premium and medal, they shall append to their 
report a recommendation to that effect. 

9th. Every inventor or other person who may submit 
a subject to the committee for investigation, shall be fur- 
nished by the Actuary with a copy of the circular and 
rules relating to the Scott's legacy premium, and the 
rules and regulations of the committee governing all in- 
vestigations. 

Scott's Legacy Premium. 

The award of the premiums authorized by the legacy 
of John Scott to the city of Philadelphia, having been 
vested by the Select and Common Councils of the city, 
in the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for 
the promotion of the Mechanic x4rts, the following par- 
ticulars are published for the information of the ingenious 
throughout the United States. 

John Scott, chemist, late of Edinburgh, by his will, 
made in the year 1816, bequeathed the sum of four thou- 
sand dollars in the funded three per cent, stock of the 



31 

United States, to the corporation of the city of Philadel- 
phia, directing that the interest and dividend to become 
receivable thereon, should be laid out in premiums, to 
be distributed among ingenious men and women, who 
make useful inventions, but no such premium to exceed 
twenty dollars, and that therewith shall be given a cop- 
per medal, with this inscription, " To the most deserv- 
ing." 

The Select and Common Councils, by an ordinance 
passed Feb. 27, 1834, vested the award of the aforesaid 
premiums and medals in the Franklin Institute of the 
State of Pennsylvania for the promotion of the Mechanic 
Arts ; and by the Managers of the Franklin Institute, the 
duty of examining inventions and improvements, and of 
recommending the award of medals and premiums, has 
been devolved upon the Committee on Science and the 
Arts. 

The committee have adopted the following rules in 
regard to recommendations of the award of premiums or 
medals by them. 

1st. A recommendation for the award of a premium 
must be made by the Committee on Science and the 
Arts, on a report of a sub-committee, who shall have 
been appointed to examine such invention. 

2nd. All inventions shall be accompanied by a certifi- 
cate, by the inventor, of the originality of the invention 
or improvement submitted. 

3rd. The invention or improvement shall be accompa- 
nied by a clear description of the same, together with 
drawings, or a model — such description and drawings or 
model to become the property of the Franklin Institute. 



32 

4th. When the invention is a composition of matter, 
specimens of the ingredients and of the compound suffi- 
cient for the purpose of experiments, and to preserve in 
the cabinet of the Franklin Institute, shall be furnished 
by the inventor. 

5th. All applications for the Scott's legacy medals and 
premiums must be made to the Actuary of the Institute, 
by whom the applications and accompanying descrip- 
tions, drawings, &c, shall be laid before the Committee 
on Science and the Arts, and by whom all publications 
ordered by said committee in relation to said premiums, 
&c, shall be made. 

6th. Whenever an invention or improvement shall 
have been decided by the Committee on Science and the 
Arts, to be worthy of a medal and premium, publication 
shall be made that said premium or medal will be award- 
ed after the expiration of three months from the date of 
the decision by the committee, unless in the meantime 
satisfactory evidence shall have been submitted of the 
want of originality of the supposed invention or improve- 
ment. 



